Hashimotos Disease

What is Hashimotos disease?

Hashimoto’s disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, or autoimmune thyroiditis, affects 14 million people in the United States alone. It is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck below your Adam’s apple, causing inflammation. Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of the metabolism and other bodily functions. The resulting inflammation, if not treated early, can eventually lead to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). This is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It primarily affects middle-aged women but also can occur in men and women of any age as well as children.

What are the Symptoms of Hashimoto’s?

• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Sweating
• Tremors
• Palpitations
• Muscle weakness
• Fatigue
• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Restless sleep
• Sleepiness during the day
• Lethargy
• Memory loss
• Hard to focus
• Concentration problems
• Hair loss
• Insomnia
• Muscle or joint pains

How is this different from hypothyroidism?

In the beginning phases of Hashimoto’s disease, thyroid cells are being damaged by antibodies produced by the immune system or the thyroid itself. The damaged thyroid cells begin releasing thyroid hormones in excess, producing symptoms that look like overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism. Patient may feel palpitations, anxiety, sweating, tremors, diarrhea, and rapid weight loss. When attack abates, thyroid hormone levels could come back to normal or become subnormal. In this phase patient may feel tired, lethargic, mentally slow, depressed, and unable to lose weight, or alarming weight gain in spite of diet and exercise. This is like a roller coaster ride and usually a conundrum that could even baffle practitioner and patient alike. As the disease progresses, more and more of thyroid tissue is destroyed leading ultimately to hypothyroidism. At this stage patient will require lifelong thyroid hormone replacement.

What Tests do I need?

Traditionally Doctors test for TSH to determine if patient has thyroid issues. However TSH only tells us if communication between Pituitary and thyroid gland is intact. It does not tell us anything about the thyroid cellular activity which reflects the actual thyroid status of a person. Thyroid hormone is needed practically by every cell in the body, where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy). Thyroid gland produces 80% of T4 and 20% T3. T4 is converted to T3 in peripheral tissues especially liver. TSH is not a good indicator of thyroid status especially in Hashimotos because as cells are being destroyed and they release T4, TSH could remain normal.

Since Hashimotos is an autoimmune disorder, antibodies against thyroid proteins (Thyroid peroxidases and thyroglobulin) may be elevated but not always. If your antibodies are elevated you have the diagnosis. But if antibodies are negative it does not rule out Hashimotos. This is a complex disorder and should be evaluated thoroughly using all diagnostic modalities and clinical picture. At Angel Longevity we do comprehensive thyroid testing including free T4, free T3, Reverse T3, antibodies against Thyroid peroxidase enzyme and thyroglobulin antibodies. We also have patient take their basal body temperature, another clinical indicator of thyroid function.

The right tests and early diagnosis can help halt the progress of the disease and heal the inflammation in your thyroid gland and preserve as much of the thyroid function as possible.

What causes it?

It is not specifically known what causes Hashimotos or triggers the immune system to suddenly start attacking thyroid gland. However the dysfunctional immune system could be triggered by the cumulative toxic burden on the body. This can include, but not be limited to: stress, injuries, surgery, heavy metals, chemicals, plastics, food additives, food allergies, refined and processed foods, viruses, bacteria, yeast, fungus and mold.

• Food allergies (esp. gluten intolerance) have been found in patients with several different autoimmune disorders.
• Variety of Chronic viral infections like Epstein Barr virus, mycoplasma, CMV or HHV 6 virus can cause Hashimotos disease.
• This autoimmune disease has a root cause in each patient and it is definitely not necessarily the same for everyone.

Once Hashimotos is diagnosed, treatment should begin immediately if thyroid gland has to be saved. Otherwise if left untreated, it can lead to other conditions especially heart conditions, severe depression, chronic fatigue etc. Thyroid, treatment should begin immediately to halt the progress of disease and to save as much thyroid tissue as possible. Pregnant women are also at high risk of developing Hashimotos as there is shifts in the immune system during pregnancy. Another theory is too little or too much of iodine (or essential minerals like selenium, iron or zinc) that can cause inflammation of thyroid gland.

Our product – thyroid Health contains anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial properties, It can support pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune T-cells active to improve the symptom of Hashimotos disease, helping to maintain a healthy thyroid function